Summary
I am an evolutionary ecologist with deep interest into the question how organisms adapt to new or changed environmental conditions. But in general I am a scientist with a very broad range of interests….
In my evolutionary ecology research I use experimental approaches and try to translate theoretical models and ideas into natural systems. My study organisms are bacteria and rotifers isolated from natural habitats. The questions I ask are: How does the ecology of an organism influence its adaptive capabilities? What is the role of the underlying genetic structure during adaptive evolution? How important is gene transfer and rearrangement of different loci, especially what is the role of sex? How do different patterns of stress shape adaptive processes? Is plasticity increasing or decreasing evolution? Finally, what does successful adaptation to new environmental stressors mean to different ecological interactions. For the future I want to increase my knowledge in molecular genetics and in modelling different related processes. I address these questions using a combination of field and lab experiments and mathematical modelling.
Selected Publications
Journal Articles
Scheuerl T, Hopkins M, Nowell R, et al., 2020, Bacterial adaptation is constrained in complex communities, Nature Communications, Vol:11, ISSN:2041-1723